Hasta La Gadget!

The iPad 2 international launch will go ahead as planned, despite shortages in the U.S. Photo Jon Snyder / Wired.com

Those worried that the iPad 2’s sellout success would mean delays for non-U.S buyers need worry no longer. Apple has just given word that the international launch will go ahead as planned, bringing the iPad 2 to 25 more countries this Friday.

Shortages at home made many, including me, think that the overseas launch would be put back a few weeks, as happened twice last year when the iPad originally launched. As happened with the U.S launch just over a week ago, the iPad will go on sale at 5PM local time in Apple stores on Friday 25th, and be available to order online at 1AM Friday.

That doesn’t mean supplies will be plentiful, though. A statement from Steve Jobs, included in the press release, puts a positive spin on the shortages:

We’re experiencing amazing demand for iPad 2 in the US, and customers around the world have told us they can’t wait to get their hands on it. We appreciate everyone’s patience and we are working hard to build enough iPads for everyone.

The prices in the press release are the U.S prices, which is odd as the first-gen iPad cost way more in Europe than at home. As a guide, the iPad 1 is now on sale at reduced prices. The cheapest, 16GB Wi-Fi option is €379, or $540. Not bad. The 64GB 3G model, though, is €699, or $995. And that’s the reduced price.

Finally, here’s a list of the countries which will get the iPad this Friday:

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK

iPad 2 Arrives in 25 More Countries This Friday [Apple]

See Also:

• Apple Delays International iPad Launch Until 'End of May'
• IPad Ships Internationally May 28th
• International iPad Orders Pushed Back. Again

We’ve seen Nao bust a move and play a little footy, and now its creator is making plans to take its bots off-roading in the name of disaster relief. Aldebaran robotics recently announced its intention to invest in and develop a range of robots that can traverse rocky roads to help in hazardous situations, citing the tsunami in Japan as a catalyst for the move. The company’s yet to state how it will make this happen, but says it’s already made contributions to Cap Robotique, the “French cluster dedicated to the development and innovation in the field of service robotics.” If you ask us, we’re all for Nao gettin’ a little dirt under its nails, as long as it can still serve Fosse. Full PR after the break.

Continue reading Aldebaran to create all-terrain disaster relief robots, make a hero of Nao?

Aldebaran to create all-terrain disaster relief robots, make a hero of Nao? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Mar 2011 09:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’re seated in the auditorium for CTIA Wireless 2011’s first keynote session, featuring FCC chairman Julius Genachowski — who’s frequented CTIAs in years past — along with the bosses of Verizon Wireless, AT&T Mobility, and Sprint. Needless to say, these are a bunch of heavy hitters about to take the stage… and we’re curious whether they’ll be saying a peep about AT&T’s planned acquisition of T-Mobile USA. Tune in after the break!

Continue reading Live from CTIA’s day one keynote with FCC chairman Julius Genachowski

Live from CTIA’s day one keynote with FCC chairman Julius Genachowski originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Mar 2011 08:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Smart Cover on iPad 1 — It’s all done with magnets. And Glue

One of the coolest features of the iPad 2 is Apple’s Smart Cover, that giant fridge-magnet which snaps instantly into place on the front of the iPad and works as both screen protector and stand. Sadly the symbiotic nature of the iPad 2 and the Smart Cover means that it won’t work on the original iPad. Or will it?

The solution is to add your own magnets to that ugly old iPad you can barely stand to look at any more. Over at the The Russians Used a Pencil blog, Dan Provost did just that, and even shot a video of the results.

To line everything up properly, our intrepid hacker took four rare-earth magnets and almost tossed them at the cover’s hinge. There they stuck, twisting themselves until they sat in place. Next, Dan used masking tape to measure where they should sit on the iPad’s left edge, and then stuck them to the flat surface with superglue.

Thus equipped, the Smart Cover can hide the shame that is your big, old, slow first-gen iPad. You can use it as a cover, and as a stand. The one thing is won’t do is to lock and unlock the screen, because the iPad 1 lacks the internal magnet that is needed to detect the cover.

If you’re going to actually glue something to your iPad, I guess you could skip the magnets altogether and just stick the Smart Cover itself straight to the side. On the other hand, this hack means you won’t actually have to buy the new iPad just to get the clever cover, which means you just saved at least $500, just by reading this post. You’re welcome.

Smart Cover for iPad 1 [The Russians Used a Pencil]

See Also:

• Smart Cover
• Speck PixelSkin HD Apes Smart Cover Design
• IFixit Smart Cover Teardown: Contains Magnets. Lots of Magnets …
• iPad 2 Cover Is Smart, All Right — If You're Steve Jobs

What if Captain Nemo had a cell phone and PC? A group of artists reimagines the world of Jules Verne in the information age.